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Never Belittle The Place Someone Is From

It’s insulting and only makes you look like a jerk.

Mon Aug 28, 2017

Have you ever had someone ask you where you were from, only to have them respond with, “Oh, I’m sorry.” when you told them? I have. It doesn’t feel very good.

Like most mammals, people (humans) are territorial. Even if they aren’t particularly proud of or happy with where they live or where they are from, they feel the need to defend its honor when insulted. This tendency is strong within us. I assume it’s where school rivalries, gangs, and religions are born. It seems to be a facet of our natural tendency towards tribalism.

Of course I’m just speculating here. I’m not an evolutionary psychologist, but on very many occasions, I have seen people get riled up when their town, county, state, country, or neighborhood was ridiculed—even when the person doing the ridiculing is from the same place. I have found myself on the defensive in many such situations (quite a few times as of late), which is why I’m writing this very essay.

If you want people to like you, never do this.

Edit January 12, 2018: included a note about people doing the ridiculing being from the same place.